With design costs, build costs, land acquisition, and everything else, homes are expensive. Add a layer to that, that homes be sustainable, or somewhat “green,” and they get more expensive. Yet folks want these homes to be cut-rate affordable. It’s tough to do and a new modern home in Columbia, South Carolina, perhaps gives us an idea of what an affordable, light green home could look like.

ECO Modern Flats is undergoing a transformation right now in Fayetteville, Arkansas. The multifamily project was built 40 years ago, but that’s not stopping developers from renovating the place to anticipated LEED Gold level certification. And they’re doing it with a modern, yet attainable, approach, too.

Today USA Today published an article on green prefab in both the Money section and online. Wendy Koch, author and owner of her own green home under construction, gathered various industry opinions for the article. Here’s a snapshot of industry thinking on the topic:

This Berkeley tiny house has been getting a fair amount of attention recently. Built by New Avenue, Inc., the 420 square-foot backyard cottage is spacious enough to include a living room, kitchen, dining area, loft, and bathroom. It was built for $98,000, which includes all the bells and whistles one could ask for in any home regardless of size.

This is a clever Penguin faucet offered by Sustainable Solutions (SSi). It was designed to conserve water with a flow rate of 1.5 GPM. At the same time, the faucet sends a message about environmental living. With an undeniable resemblance to the shape of a penguin, I can see a situation where you’re brushing your teeth and the faucet causes you to think about the tiny tuxedo birds, and then ice caps, and then other environmental issues. Maybe design in this case does a lot more than save water because it motivates you to save other natural resources, too.